Subsea Buoyancy Solution for Full Ocean Depth Submersible
Base Materials will supply its buoyancy solutions to Inkfish, an organization that supports marine research, as part of an upgrade of the full ocean depth submersible DSV Bakunawa (formerly DSV Limiting Factor). This two-man, 12-tonne vessel was previously used for The Five Deeps Expedition, the first successful manned descent to the deepest point of each of the world’s five oceans.
The submersible is one of only a handful of manned submersibles capable of reaching the Challenger Deep, the deepest point of the ocean, approximately 10,925 m (35,843 ft.) below sea level.
The proposed buoyancy system will be manufactured from Base Material’s DNV type-approved Subtec 11500, a low-density high-performance syntactic foam buoyancy material, which is qualified for use in seawater depths down to 11,500 m.
Base Materials is the first syntactic foam subsea buoyancy manufacturer to receive DNV type approval. It has DNV approval of manufacture for its complete range of Subtec materials.